upper class

American  

noun

1. a class of people above the middle class, having the highest social rank or standing based on wealth, family connections, and the like.

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upper class British  

noun

1. the class occupying the highest position in the social hierarchy, esp the wealthy or the aristocracy

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adjective

1. of or relating to the upper class

2. education of or relating to the junior or senior classes of a college or high school

Other Word Forms

• upper-class adjective

Etymology

Origin of upper class

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

“Poor people are as bad off as in the special period, but a segment of middle and upper class have access to dollars and are not in such bad shape, which causes real social tension.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

A quick peek into butter’s rich history reveals that the humble dairy product was once a luxury reserved for the upper class.

From Salon • Aug. 16, 2025

General Cooper was raised in Mobile in a rarefied world: the Black upper class of the pre-civil rights era.

From New York Times • May 15, 2024

Seydoux, a Bonello veteran, is as wholly believable among the City of Lights’ upper class in 1910 as she is as a struggling actor a century later in the City of Angels.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2024

Austin taught Fuller to take on the upper class in the black community with the same zeal and uncompromising spirit that he used in confronting the white power structure.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• aristocracy
• jet set
• upper crust